FINAL SCORE
Monmouth (8-8, 3-2 CAA) – 59
College of Charleston (12-4, 3-2 CAA) – 55
 
CHARLESTON, S.C. – In a game in which they never trailed, the Monmouth University Women's Basketball Hawks defeated the College of Charleston, 59-55, in a defensive battle on Friday Night at TD Arena.
 
Senior guard Damaris Rodriguez delivered another strong performance, leading all scorers with 15 points while adding three assists and three rebounds. Senior forward Taisha Exanor nearly recorded another double-double, finishing with nine points and ten rebounds, anchoring the Hawks' interior presence. Belle Kranbuhl was a force on the glass, pulling down 12 rebounds and contributing eight points.
 
Monmouth set the tone early, taking a 12-9 lead after the first quarter and extending their advantage to 27-19 at halftime. The Hawks' defense was particularly effective in the first half, holding Charleston to just 23.5% shooting from the field while forcing nine turnovers.
 
The Cougars made a push in the second half and closed the gap to within four points in the fourth quarter, but Monmouth's defense came up big down the stretch. The Hawks tallied seven blocks, tying their highest total in a CAA game this season, with Kranbuhl and Exanor each contributing a pair of key swats.
 
Monmouth's balanced attack also featured strong bench contributions, with Rachel Kuhl adding seven points and Divine Dibula chipping in eight points and seven rebounds. The Hawks shot 40.4% from the field and converted 13-of-21 free-throw attempts to seal the victory as Monmouth improves to 2-0 on the road in CAA action.
 
NOTES & QUOTES
"This was a gritty road win for us, and I'm very proud of our defensive effort for 40 minutes. Our resilience and composure were tested, and we were able to show poise down the stretch. We had multiple people step up on both ends in important moments."  – Head Coach Cait Wetmore
 
- The Hawks held the Cougars to a 26.9% shooting percentage from the field – the lowest mark by any Monmouth opponent this season.
- Monmouth improves to 3-2 in CAA games.
- The Hawks have defeated the Cougars four consecutive times.
- Monmouth never trailed in the game and led for 38:32. It is the third time this season Monmouth has won a game while leading from start to finish.
- Monmouth had seven blocks for the second straight game.
- Monmouth had 10 assists, hitting double digits for the 14^th time this season.
- Monmouth leads the all-time series, 4-1.
 
NUMBERS CRUNCH
- The game featured zero lead changes and two ties.
- Monmouth made 40.4% of its field goals to Charleston's 26.9%.
- The Cougars won the rebounding battle, 47-46.
- Charleston outscored MU, 18-10, off turnovers.
- Monmouth had more points in the paint, 28-26.
- CofC had more second chance points, 12-6.
- CofC had more fastbreak points, 5-0.
- MU had more bench points, 20-10.
- Monmouth lost the turnover battle, 21-11.
 
UP NEXT
The Hawks continue the road trip at UNC Wilmington on Sunday, Jan. 19. The game will be broadcast live on FloCollege at 1 p.m.